


How to Get a Girlfriend: A Guide by Sam Wilson

by moviegirl71



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Bucky Barnes & Sam Wilson Friendship, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff and Humor, Friends to Lovers, Getting to Know Each Other, Minor Bucky Barnes/Natasha Romanov, Minor Peggy Carter/Steve Rogers, New Year's Eve, New Year's Kiss, Steve Rogers & Sam Wilson Friendship, cute neighbors
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-31
Updated: 2020-01-31
Packaged: 2021-02-25 16:29:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22499104
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moviegirl71/pseuds/moviegirl71
Summary: It all started because Steve Rogers is an idiot. And Sam could never say no Peggy.When Steve takes Sam's joke about having a girlfriend seriously, Sam pretends it's his cute neighbor across the hall. It's all fine until suddenly Peggy wants to invite her to her annual New Year's Eve party. Luckily his cute neighbor doesn't seem to mind.Main pairing of Sam Wilson with an original female character. Side pairings include Steve Rogers/Peggy Carter & Bucky Barnes/Natasha Romanoff.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Natasha Romanov, Peggy Carter/Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson/Original Female Character
Kudos: 13





	How to Get a Girlfriend: A Guide by Sam Wilson

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for a writing challenge on Tumblr. It is the first thing I've ever published for the internet, so please be kind. If you come across something that you don't like please don't read any further. It's generally pretty fluffy and funny.
> 
> The original character is a Korean-American immigrant and features a couple of her family members briefly. However, I am not. I tried to do my best in representing these communities respectfully and the story does not center on the original character's identity as a Korean-American immigrant. If you see something in here that is offensive, please leave me a comment below. If you liked the story, please leave a kudos or comment below!

Sam took a deep breath after finishing his morning run. Steve, of course, looked like he could be a fitness model or something. He stood on Sam’s left and instead of sweating it looked like he was glistening. His breathing was even and he pulled out a small water flask, taking a quick sip before replacing it on his belt.

“You gonna be okay over there?” Steve looked at Sam with a chuckle.

Sam snorted, pulling his foot up until it reached his hamstring. “You look like you didn’t do enough running today man. You know what? Why don’t you take another lap? Did you take one? I assume you just took one.”

Steve laughed right along with Sam as they walked towards the parking lot where their cars were. “You always think you’re so hilarious man but your jokes are awful.”

“Yeah, well my girlfriend thinks they’re hilarious.” The words were out of Sam’s mouth before he could stop them and they were a total joke. Of course, he didn’t have a girlfriend right now, he had been single for a while. 

Both of the men laughed as they walked towards their respective cars. “You barely know how to get a girlfriend dude.”

Sam scoffed at Steve. He knew how to get a girlfriend. He just wasn’t particularly interested right now. “I know more than you. I could write a guide book on how to do that. Didn’t you ask Peggy to fondue or something and then get surprised when it was melted cheese?”

Steve rolled his eyes in Sam’s general direction. “Whatever you say, man. I’ll see you tomorrow night for drinks right?” 

Sam agreed and with a wave started driving towards his apartment for a quick shower and breakfast. As he was leaving his apartment to head to work, he saw his neighbor leaving her own unit. He would never admit it to anyone, but Sam totally had a crush on her.

“Hi Sam,” her voice broke him out of his trance. She was wearing a lavender pencil skirt and a white blouse. Her hair was pulled up into a ponytail, everything about her neat and precise. 

“Hi, Irene. How are you doing?” Sam smiled as the two walked towards the elevator together.

“I’m doing okay. Just preparing for another busy day at the university. I have a big meeting with my director about events we need to host this semester. Do you have fun plans for the weekend Sam?”

With a chuckle and a shake of his head, Sam replied, “Nothing much. Just the usual- meeting up with some friends tomorrow night. What about you?”

“Well, my mom wants me to go down to Annandale with her to go to the Korean market there. Chuseok is next weekend so Mom wants to start getting ready for that,” Irene glanced towards Sam to see if he understood and if his facial expression was anything to go by he had no idea what she had just said. “Chuseok is like Korean thanksgiving.”

Sam nodded his head, “I totally knew that.” 

By this point, both of them were standing next to their cars and Irene shot Sam a disbelieving look. “Okay, I had no idea. But I hope you have fun with your mother.”

They chuckled and with each of them wishing the other a good day, took off towards their respective jobs. 

*** *** *** *** ***

Sam was running late but part of him was okay with that. He had gotten to wave goodbye to Irene as she was leaving to head to her parents’ house. And Sam counted it as a win whenever he got to see his pretty neighbor.

When he arrived at their favorite bar he saw that Steve, Peggy, Sharon, and Bucky had already found a table. The only person running later than him was Carol. “Hey, guys!”

“Well look who finally decided to join us,” Bucky chorused slapping Sam on the shoulder.

The pair hugged, slapping each other on the back, and pulling away Sam responded, “I see you took my advice about getting a haircut.” 

With a smirk, Bucky responded, “I don’t know, Nat likes it this long. Makes it a lot easier to pull on it when I’m-”

Sharon reached behind Steve and slapped the back of Bucky’s head. “For the love of all things holy, do not finish that sentence.” Sharon glared at Bucky as she took a sip of her beer.

Natasha seemed to appear out of nowhere, a particular talent of hers that she loved to utilize, “What did this idiot do now?”

“Pretty sure he was about to spill the beans on whatever it is you two do in the bedroom,” Peggy’s British lilt only enhanced her bored expression.

“I hope it wasn’t anything too exciting. Sam might get jealous.” Natasha smirked at Sam as she gave him a hug in greeting.

At that particular moment, Carol joined the group with a smile and puzzled expression. “What is Sam getting jealous of?”

Sam groaned as Steve and Bucky laughed. Natasha smiled evilly as she responded, “The fact that Bucky gets way more action in the bedroom.”

“Okay, okay, that’s enough,” Steve finally interceded. “Hi Carol, how are you?”

“Oh, I’m fine. Got to show up some guys at work today so that’s always fun.” Carol wore a gleeful expression on her face as she waved over Wanda, their usual waitress. “Hey Wanda, can I get a Blue Moon please?”

With a smile, Wanda walked over to the bar to get Carol’s drink and brought it to her before going to another table to take care of them. Eventually, she made her way back over to their table. “Do you guys need anything else?” Wanda’s voice was warm and a smile was on her face.

“Yeah, we’ll have two orders of fries to split for the table,” Steve smiled at Wanda before continuing. “I’ll have another Sam Adams and another glass of water for Peggy.” 

Wanda nodded her head and walked over to the bar to put in their order. 

Carol took a sip of her beer and laughed as she said, “water Peggy? What are you pregnant or something?”

“Actually,” Peggy smiled and slid her hand down from the table to presumably rest it on Steve’s thigh, “I am Carol.”

A momentary pause and then the group broke out into surprised, happy sounds. Congratulations were passed around and Peggy was hugged by just about everyone. Sam was particularly happy. He had known Steve and Peggy since he, Steve, and Bucky were all in the same support group for recently discharged veterans a few years before. Steve and Peggy had been trying to get pregnant for a while now, so he was thrilled about the announcement.

“Well,” Steve broke out a few minutes later after Wanda had brought a round of celebratory shots (and water for Peggy), “we’re not the only ones with good news. Sam said he had a girlfriend this morning.”

Sam blanked for a moment at Steve’s stupidity. He had been joking but the truly jubilant look in Peggy’s eyes left him feeling like it wasn’t an option to tell her it was a joke.

“Really? That’s wonderful Sam! Tell us all about her,” Peggy’s voice rang with excitement. She along with the rest of the table turned to him expectantly. Part of him was surprised but then his brain reminded him that, of course, they were. He had been a mess last year when he discovered that Jenny had been cheating on him.

“Well,” Sam took a pause and for some reason, Irene’s face filled his mind. “Her name is Irene and she lives across the hall from me.” Sam took a drink and hoped his friends would move on.

Natasha raised an eyebrow, taking a sip of her beer, “That’s it? You’re not going to tell us anything else?”

Sam rolled his eyes. “This whole relationship thing is new. But she works at Marymount University in their admissions office. She’s...she’s…” Sam paused. Honestly, he and Irene had talked to each other but it’s not like he knew her that well. “She’s special.” It felt lame but it was all he could come up with.

Carol and Natasha rolled their eyes muttering about Sam turning sappy. Sharon smiled at him, “I’m happy you’re putting yourself back out there Sam. Just ignore those two.” 

*** *** *** *** ***

A couple of months had passed and everything seemed normal. After the first couple of weeks, none of his friends bugged him about his supposed girlfriend and why he never brought her around. It was almost as if they had forgotten about her, which Sam had hoped was the actual case though he doubted he was that lucky. 

He walked into their regular bar on Friday, after chatting with Irene about work, and saw Steve, Peggy, and Bucky sitting at a table. Even though Peggy was only a few months along, her belly was rounding out. As he approached, Sam could hear them talking about Peggy’s annual New Year’s Eve party.

Everyone who knew Peggy knew she had a deep and abiding love of Christmas. Every year she would decorate every single surface of the house with lights, statutes of Stana Claus and various reindeer, snowflakes, and a traditional Christmas village. There were always freshly baked cookies with a variety of tea and hot chocolate available to drink. And the crown jewel of Peggy’s holiday season was a large party thrown on New Year’s Eve with every coworker, friend, or person Peggy and Steve could think to invite.

Sam walked up to the table and immediately drew the attention of Peggy. “Sam!” The lovely British woman slipped from her barstool and walked over to give him a hug. 

“How are you doing Peggy?” 

Peggy smiled, her hair pulled back into a bun on the top of her head. “I’m doing better now. Some of the morning sickness and heartburn have passed so it is much easier to eat now.”

Sam smiled at Peggy and lent her a hand as she got back up onto the barstool. “That’s great Peggy.”

“It really is. It makes planning for our party so much easier. Speaking of which, I wanted to invite Irene but I don’t have any of her information. I assume you’ve mentioned our party to her?” Peggy raised a quizzical brow as she looked sideways at Sam.

Internally Sam cringed because of course he wasn’t actually dating Irene so he had never mentioned to her that Peggy threw the best Christmas/New Year's Eve party in Washington, D.C. As Sam was preparing to say something in response, Carol and Sharon arrived and took over the conversation. Luckily for Sam, Peggy was so distracted she forgot all about Irene and the Christmas party.

The night continued on and Sam noticed that the bar was more crowded than it usually was on a Friday night. Sam attributed the increase to people getting together with their friends for the holiday. When his and Sharon’s drinks were gone Sam offered to go get some from the bar, just to give poor Wanda a break.

With drinks in hand, Sam bumped into someone on his way back to the table. “Oh, hey, sorry my bad.” Sam looked up to see Irene, dressed casually in jeans and a loose sweater. “Irene, hey! What are you doing here?”

“Hi Sam,” Irene smiled with her arms crossed over her chest. “I am just here with some friends. What are you doing here?”

“I come here every week with my friends. We’ve been coming here every Friday night for years. It’s a fun place to be.” Sam’s heart was beating so fast that he was worried everyone else could hear it.

Irene’s smile in response was so beautiful Sam felt every thought slip from his mind. That was until Carol came over and loudly clapped him on the back before slipping her arm around his shoulder. “What is taking you so long? Sharon is thirsty man!”

When Sam’s eyes darted back towards Irene Carol’s eyes followed. She looked surprised and her arm slipped off of Sam’s shoulders to extend toward Irene. “Hi, I’m Carol.”

“Irene, it’s nice to meet you.” Irene smiled as she and Carol shook hands. Sam had the realization that this could end very badly and before he could shoo Carol away, the thing he feared most happened.

Carol’s smile shifted into a mischievous smirk, “Oh, you’re Irene.” Carol gave a quick side glance towards Sam, “we’ve all been dying to meet you. I know Peggy will be thrilled to meet you.”

Sam looked Irene and to her credit, she still looked polite even though she also looked confused. Carol beckoned her to follow and Irene stared at Sam with a perplexed expression. “What does she mean about people being excited to meet me?”

“I promise I will explain everything. But for now can you please play along?” Sam felt panicked but he hoped his expression didn’t really show that. Irene quietly nodded and waited for Sam to lead the way.

The pair walked over to Sam’s table where everyone was staring at him, Carol clearly having told them all about her discovery. Peggy was bouncing so much she looked like she was about to fall off her seat. In fact, if Steve had not been holding her around her shoulders she might have. When they got close Irene stepped out from behind Sam, and even though he hadn’t thought it was possible, Peggy began to bounce even more.

“Everyone, this is Irene.” Sam gestured toward Irene and put his arm around her shoulders. He felt her tense up immediately but a quick side glance said that her face was still smiling. “Irene, these are my friends. This is Bucky, Natasha, Sharon, Steve, Peggy, and you just met Carol.” After Sam said each of their names, his friends gave a wave or a head nod.

Irene still looked a little confused but smiled along anyway. Peggy, with Steve’s help, got down from her stool and waddled over to Sam and Irene. Her face was practically glowing and if she had been smiling any wider her face probably would have broken. As Peggy approached Irene casually slipped out from under Sam’s arm and angled herself so she was better facing Peggy.

“I am so happy to meet you, Irene. When Sam mentioned that he had a girlfriend we were all so happy. Sam,” Peggy lightly put her hand on his shoulder, “why didn’t you tell us your girlfriend was coming tonight?”

Sam lifted a hand and awkwardly scratched his head. “Honestly, Peggy, I had no idea she was going to be here tonight. She and her friends just happened to pick this bar to come to tonight.”

“Oh well, what a happy happenstance!” Peggy turned her bright expression towards Irene. “You have to come to my New Year’s Eve party! Irene, it is so much fun and I’m sure Sam has told you all about it. Can I expect that you’ll be there?” 

Irene smiled pleasantly at Peggy, almost as if she was a mother smiling at her excited child. “Of course I will be there. Sam has told me good things about your party.”

Moving her gaze directly to the rest of the group she smiled pleasantly. “I’m sorry I can’t spend more time with you, Sam has told me lots about all of you. But my friends and I are on our way out. Maybe I can join you some other time.”

With a pleasant wave and smile, Irene turns to walk away. Sam follows her back to her own table where they pause a few feet away. Irene looks at the table with a wave and gesture for one minute when a friend waves her over, she turns to Sam. “So...that was...interesting.”

“Yeah,” Sam awkwardly scratched the back of his head, “I’m sorry. I promise that I can explain everything. Maybe I can come over to your place tomorrow?”

Irene nods her head. “That should work if you come over around 11. I’ll have coffee and food if you want.”

Sam nods in agreement and Irene heads over to her friends. He stands there and watches as she chats with her friends while putting her coat on. As Irene is exiting she notices him watching and gives him a wave which he returns with a toothy smile. After that Sam heads back over to his friends who are all staring at him like they want to make fun of them. Lucky for him they decide that it isn’t necessary to do that.

*** *** *** *** ***

The next morning Sam woke up early and felt his skin buzzing with excitement and nerves. He decided that a run would help burn some of that extra energy. By the time he was finished and had showered it was almost 11. He threw on a clean pair of joggers and matching Air Force sweatshirt with a pair of tennis shoes.

With a deep breath, he walked across the hallway and knocked on the door. It took a couple of seconds before he heard a muted call of “one second” and thumping with what sounded like swearing though the words were indistinguishable. Then the door opened with a view Sam thought he would never see.

Irene was standing in front of him in an oversized Marymount sweatshirt and light blue jeans wearing a pair of grey slippers. What surprised him the most though was her long hair, normally pulled back off of her face, was all tucked up under a bubblegum pink shower cap. Sam thought she looked a little bit like a mushroom but definitely a cute mushroom. 

“Oh, hi Sam. Come on in.” Irene opened the door wider and gestured for Sam to come in. Sam walked into the apartment and was impressed by Irene’s taste. Everything was decorated in light, neutral colors that made the whole space feel larger than it was. Irene cleared her throat grabbing Sam’s attention, “Sorry, I lost track of time this morning. I just need to go rinse my hair mask off. Please make yourself comfortable and I’ll be right back.”

Irene scurried off to her bathroom and Sam began to wander around the apartment. On the wall across from the entrance, he found a collection of what looked like family photos. The first photo Sam noticed was of a younger Irene, dressed in a yellow floral dress with cut-outs on the shoulders, standing next to a younger woman wearing black graduation robes with an elegant older couple bracketing them. Another photo was of Irene as a little girl, sitting on the floor playing with a baby, her hair in pigtails and wearing a pink dress.

“That one was taken in Seoul right after my little sister was born.” Irene had snuck up on Sam without him noticing. Her hair was now wet and hung long down her back.

Sam turned his gaze back towards Irene with a smile. “I didn’t realize that you had a sister. Or that you had visited Seoul.”

Irene nodded a small smile on her face, “Actually my family moved here in the early 90s when my dad got a job at George Washington University. And Grace lives in Palisades Park with her boyfriend now so I don’t get to see her often.” Sam noticed her eyes quickly tracked down to his feet before she made eye contact once again. “I’m sorry but can you take your shoes off? It’s a cleanliness thing. If you want something to wear on your feet I have plenty of slippers.”

“It’s fine, I can walk around in my socks. Sorry, I didn’t realize walking around in my shoes would be a big deal.” Sam quickly took his shoes off without tying them and carried them over to the entrance of Irene’s apartment. When he got over there he noticed a couple of pairs of outdoor shoes sitting neatly on the floor next to a couple of pairs of slippers. 

Irene smiled at Sam’s retreating form, “it’s not a big deal Sam. It’s pretty standard in Asian households, I should have mentioned it sooner.” As she walked into the kitchen she turned off the filled coffee pot. “Can I get you something to drink? I have coffee, water, orange juice.” 

Sam walked back to the kitchen. “Coffee would be great. Do you have some milk or creamer?”

Irene placed a mug of coffee in front of Sam after she gestured for him to sit down at the breakfast bar. “I only have soy milk and creamer,” turning toward Sam she held up the two containers. 

Shaking his head, Sam responded, “Naw, I’m good. I’ll just drink it black. You lactose intolerant or something?”

“Actually I am,” Irene said placing the creamer back in the fridge after pouring a little into her own coffee mug. “Do you want anything to eat? I can make eggs, toast, or stir fry. Or I have some leftover spaghetti from earlier this week.”

Sam raised an eyebrow at the odd mix of food in her fridge before eventually saying, “no, I’m good thanks though.”

Irene sat down next to Sam at the breakfast bar after putting some bread in the toaster sitting out on the counter. “Sorry,” Irene looked at Sam with a shy expression, “I didn’t get a chance to eat breakfast yet.” Irene was about to say something else when her phone began to ring. She ran into the living room to check who was calling her. “I’m sorry Sam but it’s my sister do you mind if I put it on speaker?”

Sam shook his head so Irene answered and put it on speaker. “Hello?” Irene set the phone on the counter next to her as the toast popped up and she began to slather it in grape jelly.

“Jieun-ah,” the voice of an older woman came out of the phone and proceeded to talk at Irene in what Sam assumed was Korean. Irene put down her knife and quickly picked up the phone, taking it off of speaker and placing it next to her ear. Sam tuned her out and stared at the different pieces of paper hanging on her fridge instead.

“Sorry about that Sam,” Irene turned to him with an embarrassed expression. “My parents are visiting my sister and my mom forgot her phone.”

Sam shrugged his shoulders shooting Irene a toothy grin, “It’s cool. Can I ask a question though?” Irene nodded her head, putting the jelly back in the fridge. “I thought your name is Irene so why did she call you something else?”

Irene nodded as she came to sit next to Sam at the breakfast bar. “Irene is my English name,” Irene glanced back at Sam and shrugged her shoulders like it wasn’t a big deal. “My mom pretty much talks to me in Korean on the phone. That’s why you heard her call me by my Korean name.”

Sam nodded, sipping his coffee for a second. “So your Korean name is your given name?”

Irene nodded finishing the bite of toast in her mouth. “Yes, my name is actually Jieun.”

“How do you say your name?” Sam looked over at her curiously.

Quirking her brow, Irene turned her whole body towards Sam. “You know how to say Irene.”

“No,” Sam put down his utensil and looked her in the eyes. “I want to know how to say your real name. Jieun.”

With a small smile, Irene nodded. “You have the Ji part down. But the second part comes more from the back of your throat.” Sam tried again, repeating it as Irene nodded encouragingly. “I think you have it Sam.”

*** *** *** *** ***

After Irene had finished her quick breakfast, the two took their coffee and sat on Irene’s couch.

“So,” Irene broke the silence after taking a sip of her coffee, “do you want to tell me why all of your friends think we’re dating?”

Sam nodded his head and tried to think of how to explain. “It all started because Steve is an idiot. I made a joke about having a girlfriend and Steve thought I was being serious. He made a comment about it in front of Peggy. And Peggy…” Sam paused to think about Peggy’s expression that evening. 

“And Peggy just looked so happy for me that I couldn’t bear to break her heart.” Sam looked over at Irene whose facial expression was not impressed by his explanation thus far. “Look, Peggy is totally a mother hen. I had...a difficult break up last year and haven’t really been interested in dating since that happened. To be honest with you, I haven’t really been myself since that happened. So when Peggy thought that maybe I was finally happy again, her facial expression was just...I couldn’t upset her by telling her that her husband was a massive idiot.”

Sam felt like a live wire, his emotions threatening to take over. So he paused to collect himself, unable to make eye contact with Irene. “So, Steve is an idiot and Peggy is a very good friend. And I was the first person you thought of when you needed a girlfriend?” Irene sounded less skeptical than she had looked before. Sam nodded in response before Irene continued, “Even though you could have totally made up a fake girlfriend?” Again Sam nodded, not looking at Irene.

They sat there in silence again, though it was not as comfortable as when they were eating. “So, I guess,” Sam looked up at Irene as she spoke. He saw a smile on her face as she readjusted herself on the couch, “we pretend to be dating for this party Peggy is throwing and then we break up?”

Sam looked at Irene, stunned before spitting out the first thing that popped into his head, “are you being serious right now?”

Irene nodded, took a sip of coffee, and spoke carefully. “Your friends care about you, it’s obvious from the way you talk about them. And Peggy looked very happy last night...and pregnant women should think about and see beautiful things.’

The last part didn’t make much sense to Sam but he nodded along anyway. Peggy certainly was a force to be reckoned with. He gazed at Irene who wore a thoughtful expression. After a moment she looked up at him, determination in her eyes.

“I have two conditions,” Irene’s voice commanded attention. “The first: I will go to your friends’ party if I can lie to one of my co-workers. One of the guys in my office, Justin Hammer, is being really pushy about going on a date with him and how he is a nice guy. I think if I tell him I have a boyfriend it will help get him to leave me alone.”

Sam nodded, “I can do that. I promise I can be really intimidating, even in photos.” Irene nodded with a small smile on her face, her expression saying that she believed Sam.

“My other condition,” Irene’s voice broke out unexpectedly, “displays of affection. I’m not comfortable...doing that sort of thing in public. I know we’ll need to convince people we are dating but…”

“No more than necessary.” Sam finished Irene’s thought causing her to look at him in surprise. She looked off into the distance above his head, which Sam thought might have meant she was embarrassed. “Hey,” Sam reached out and put his hand on hers, “whatever you’re comfortable with is fine. Thank you for doing this. I promise we can break up as soon as my party is done.”

Irene nodded and quietly pulled her hand out from under Sam’s. She placed both of her hands on her mug. The two spent the next several hours talking about their fake relationship, how they met, and telling stories about themselves so they could answer any questions that would arise. Before Sam left they took a photo together for Irene to show Justin the next time he tried to ask her out.

*** *** *** *** ***

It had been a week since Sam and Irene had made their deal. Irene had bumped into Sam a couple of days later. She informed him that their photo had helped, for now, Justin hadn’t bothered her since she had shown him the photo. Sam was feeling pretty good about everything. And even though he didn’t want to admit it to himself he was pretty excited to have an excuse to take Irene out on a date even though they were fake.

Today Peggy had come over to Sam’s apartment to help him pick an outfit for the New Year’s Eve party. Sam had driven over to her townhome to take Peggy and Steve out for breakfast before Peggy insisted on coming back to Sam’s apartment.

“Thank you for letting me come over Sam,” Peggy said as she rubbed her belly as they stood waiting for the elevator. 

Sam smiled at Peggy and put his arm around her shoulders, “you know I love spending time with you Peggy. But I still don’t see what the big deal is about dressing up for the party.” Sam shot a sideways glance at Peggy.

Her look back at him was equal parts aghast and annoyed. “Are you seriously telling me that you, Sam Wilson, the closet romantic does not see the point in dressing up for your girlfriend on New Year’s Eve?”

Sam closed his eyes because, of course, he had forgotten that. Peggy giggled at his expression and pulled Sam into the elevator. Sam hit the button for his floor and as the door was closing he heard a woman shout, “hold the door! Please hold the door!”

Immediately, Sam shot his hand between the closing door and held it open until a pair of women appeared. The younger woman had dyed red hair, two small buns on the top of her head as the rest of her hair hung around shoulders, wearing a beige jacket over black skinny jeans and black boots. The older woman had warm brown hair that hung down around her shoulders, her white winter jacket hung open to expose an orange, knit cardigan over a beige top and khaki pants.

The older woman looked at Sam and Peggy with a smile on her face. She bowed just slightly as she said, “thank you so much. ” She turned toward the younger woman as the younger woman went to press the button for the floor they wanted but dropped her hand when she saw it was alright lit up.

As the elevator went up the two other women in the elevator spoke in hushed voices, Sam recognizing that weren’t speaking in English. When the elevator reached the floor and the door opened, Sam put his hand out to hold the door open and gestured for the two women and then Peggy to exit before him. 

He watched as they walked and stopped at the apartment across the hall from his. With a quick knock on the door, he saw Irene's door open and she walked out into the hallway to hug the two women. She was pretty today wearing fitted jeans with a white t-shirt and red sweater on top. But if Sam was honest with himself she was pretty every day.

"Irene!" Peggy called from next to Sam. He had been so distracted by Irene's appearance that he had forgotten Peggy was standing with him. Irene, along with the two women with her, turned to look at Sam and Peggy. 

Peggy picked up her pace, Sam following her and hoping this would all go well, and smiled at Irene when they caught up. "It is so nice to see you. How are you doing?"

Irene smiled at Peggy. "I am doing well, thank you for asking. How are you?"

"I'm doing wonderful. Sam, Steve, and I just had brunch at this cute cafe not too far away called the Falcon Cafe. Have you ever been?" Peggy asked looking between Irene and Sam.

"No I haven't been but I will have to try it." Irene looked towards the two women from the elevator. “What do you think eomma, Grace? Does that sound good for lunch?”

The younger woman, who Sam belatedly recognized from the pictures he saw last weekend in Irene’s apartment, nodded. Next to her the older woman also spoke, “Yes. But who are your friends, Jieun-ah?” Her English was accented and she looked curiously between Sam and Peggy.

Irene faltered, her expression confused and slightly panicked. Before Sam or Irene could step in Peggy spoke up, “oh my name is Peggy Carter-Rogers,” Peggy extended a graceful hand towards Irene’s mother, a bright smile on her face, “and this is Sam Wilson but I’m surprised you don’t know that.” At the confused expression on the two women’s faces, Peggy continued to babble on. “Oh did you not know that Irene and Sam were dating?”

Sam felt like his whole world stopped. Immediately he felt two new pairs of eyes on him. Grace was wearing a surprised expression but a small smile was on her face and she nodded her head like she was impressed. Irene’s mother was staring at him in shock. Almost comically, she whipped her head from Sam to look at Irene, who was hiding her face behind both of her hands, while she bombarded Irene with questions in Korean, her voice getting louder as Irene did not provide any answers.

Peggy, looking aghast at the scene in front of them, glanced at Sam who quietly ushered them into his apartment. Once the door was closed, he leaned back against it with his eyes closed and released a sigh. He stood there for a second, unsure of how to broach the topic with Peggy.

“Sam, I am so sorry,” Peggy’s accent came out much stronger than Sam was used to hearing. That was always a sign that she was emotional. Sam opened his eyes to glance at Peggy. She stood across from him, eyes large and wet with tears, her hands absentmindedly rubbing her stomach. Once eye contact was made, Peggy continued, “if I had known you had never met her family I would have never opened my mouth.”

Sam sighed and stepped away from the door. He opened his arms and Peggy immediately waddled into them for a hug. “It’s alright Peggy, we’ve been taking it slow so I haven’t met any of her family yet. But we’ll figure this out.” Peggy sniffled and nodded her head on Sam’s chest. 

With a chuckle, Sam stepped back. “Now, do you want to go digging through my closet for an outfit that will knock Irene’s socks off?” Peggy again nodded her head on his chest before stepping back. Peggy took a moment to collect herself before taking one of Sam’s hands and literally dragging him through the apartment to dig through his closet.

*** *** *** *** ***

In the end, it only took Peggy about an hour to put together an outfit for Sam. After putting the outfit together Peggy had said goodbye to Sam, promising to text him once the uber got her back to her townhome and that she had a set of keys in her purse. Once Peggy left, Sam did a little bit of light housework around the apartment; dusting, vacuuming, going through the mail, making a grocery list for the week. 

He had just gotten a text from Peggy and was grabbing a jacket to head to the grocery store when there was a knock on his door. He was surprised, he hadn’t been expecting anyone to come over and Peggy hadn’t mentioned forgetting anything. Sam opened the door to see an embarrassed Irene standing between her giddy looking mother and smug-looking sister.

“Hey,” Sam said awkwardly as he took in the women in front of him.

Irene smiled, though it may have been more accurately described as a grimace. “Hey,” Irene fiddled with her fingers, running her fingertips over the pad of her thumb. “My mom and sister wanted to come over and meet you. This is my younger sister Grace,” Irene took her fidgeting hand and gestured towards her sister sanding to her right, “and this is my mother Kyunghee,” Irene gestured to her mother standing on her left.

“It’s nice to meet you both. I’m Sam Wilson.” Sam extended his hand first to Kyunghee and after she shook his hand, he did the same with Grace. “Would you like to come in for a bit?”

Irene started talking, “Oh no, that’s okay-”

“Of course, thank you.” Kyunghee smiled and moved forward into the apartment. 

Grace shrugged her shoulders, that smug smile still on her face, “I guess we’re going in. Don’t worry, Mom’s always like this.” With that Grace walked into the apartment, leaving an embarrassed looking Irene in the hallway.

“I am so sorry, about all of...this,” Irene ran a hand through her hair, pushing it all so it fell over her left shoulder. “I told my mom we were dating and she’s overreacting because it’s been a while since I dated anyone. And she thinks I’m getting old and she wants grandchildren.” Irene dropped eye contact at that point, which Sam found more endearing than anything. Of course, he wasn’t really listening like he should have been. “I told her she was being pushy but she insisted...and Grace agreed with her so I was outnumbered. And you can totally tell them to get out because I am so sorry but my family can be really pushy and-”

“Irene,” Sam placed both of his hands on her shoulders causing her to pause and look back up at him, “it’s fine. I don’t mind. Peggy already left and I don’t really have plans. Just come in and take a deep breath.”

Irene took a deep breath like Sam advised and gave Sam a smile. He returned it with his own toothy grin and gently took her hand, bringing her into the apartment before closing the door. Sam looked down towards the floor for a moment to gather his thoughts and noticed two new pairs of shoes sitting in his entryway. “Sorry,” he murmured to Irene, “I don’t have any slippers to offer you or your family. 

Irene gave his hand a squeeze, and shot him a smile he didn’t see, before letting go to walk into the apartment. Sam took a deep breath and put on his best toothy grin, the one that had impressed every girlfriend’s mother he had ever met, before entering his apartment. When he got into the main living area he saw the three women clustered in front of a group of photos he had displayed on the walls.

Walking over he saw them looking at and whispering about his official Air Force portrait. Kyunghee heard his footsteps and turned toward him. “Is this you?”

“Yes ma’am, that is me. I served in the Air Force for several years.” 

Kyunghee smiled and looked proud. “That is very good, builds character.” Kyunghee turned away from the photos on the wall. She looked Sam up and down as if trying to appraise if he was a good match for her daughter. Suddenly Sam wished that he was wearing something other than his old pair of jeans and a worn gray sweater. “My daughter has not shared much about your relationship.”

“Mom,” Irene interjected looking like she wished for a giant hole to open up and swallow...someone. Personally, Sam found the look to be endearing. She looked like she wanted to argue against her mother but Kyunghee looked at Irene with annoyance clear on her face.

Kyunghee clicked her tongue at Irene before turning back towards Sam with a smile. “She hasn’t told me much about you either. Only that you are neighbors and you recently started dating.”

Sam nodded his head, the smile still on his face. “That sounds right but you can ask anything you’d like. Would you like to sit down?” Sam gestured towards his living room, where a couch and loveseat sat, “Can I get you ladies something to drink? I have sparkling water, kombucha, coffee.”

Grace nodded her head, walked over to Sam with an appraising look, patted his shoulder, “I’ll have some kombucha,” was muttered before she made her way to the love seat and plopped herself down. Kyunghee mumbled something under her breath in Korean, which caused Grace to roll her eyes and Irene to giggle softly. 

While Sam wandered into the kitchen Kyunghee walked over to Irene and asked her a question in Korean. The two were talking in quiet voices with Irene gesturing like she was trying to explain something. Sam wandered into the living room with a can of kombucha for Grace which she accepted with a smile and a quiet thank you. He walked back over to Irene and Kyunghee and paused, “do either of you want anything?”

“How do you explain kombucha?” Irene looked at him. “I know it’s something to do with letting tea sit but I can’t remember the word…” Irene’s voice drifted off and Sam noticed her running her fingers across the pad of her thumb again. 

“It’s a fermented tea, so it’s slightly alcoholic but it’s supposed to be healthy for you. My friend Peggy left here but she can’t drink it right now and it’s not my cup of tea. So I figured it was fair game to offer to people.” Sam laughed and Irene smiled at him.

Kyunghee looked aghast at Grace, who took a sip and shrugged her shoulders at her mother. “It’s not that alcoholic. Don’t get that upset Mom.”

In response, Kyunghee shook her head and muttered to herself, “aigoo, one daughter who tells her mother nothing and the other who drinks in the afternoon. Aigoo,” Kyunghee pounded her chest a couple of times as Grace and Irene both rolled their eyes at their mother’s dramatics. After a moment she looked towards Sam with a small smile, “I will have some sparkling water and so will Irene.”

With that, she took Irene’s hand and dragged her to the living room where she had Irene sit next to Grace on the love seat. Sam grabbed three cans of sparkling water from the fridge and made his way to the living room where he sat on the large couch near Kyunghee.

The atmosphere in the living room felt awkward as the four of them sat there in silence. Grace kept poking Irene in the leg and Irene kept swatting at her sister’s hand but somehow managing to miss.

“So,” Kyunghee set her can down on the coffee table before looking towards Sam, “how did you two meet?”

Sam smiled involuntarily, the memory of their first meeting was like something out of a cheesy romantic comedy. “Well, it was the day after Irene moved into her apartment. I was coming home from work and she was standing outside of her apartment swearing because her grocery bags had ripped and food was all over the hallway floor.” Kyunghee started Irene after he said that as Irene groaned, bending over to hide her face in her lap. 

“I stopped to help her with the groceries and then found out she had locked herself out of her apartment. So I helped her pick the lock after we got the groceries cleaned up. Of course, neither of actually knew how to do that so Irene was sitting there playing a YouTube video on her phone while I was actually trying to pick the lock. While we were doing that one of the guys who lives down the hall came up and threatened to call the cops.” At this point Sam was laughing and so was Grace, who laughed so hard she snorted and was repeatedly hitting Irene’s side. Irene for her part was still bent over with her shoulders shaking and Sam couldn’t tell if it was from tears or laughter.

“The only reason he didn’t call the cops was because the superintendent was coming to look at something in someone else’s apartment. And Clint confirmed that Irene was, in fact, a new tenant in the building.” Everyone was laughing by the time Sam finished the story. Irene had sat up, mostly to defend herself from Grace’s attacks. 

Kyunghee was the first to stop laughing and took a sip of her sparkling water. “Okay, but how did you start dating?” Grace was the one to ask the question this time as she looked over at Sam. When she spotted the surprised looks from Kyunghee and Irene, she shrugged her shoulders and pursed her lips. “What? I’m allowed to be curious.”

With a shrug of her own shoulders, Kyunghee shifted her attention from Grace to back to Sam. “Well, Irene and I have always talked whenever we get the chance. And one day it just hit me.” Sam’s eyes shifted from Kyunghee and made eye contact with Irene. “I just really wanted to ask Irene out. The words just kind of spilled out of my mouth and luckily for me she said yes. And things have just...gone from there.” 

Irene smiled softly, dropping eye contact with Sam to look at her fingers fidgeting in her lap. Sam felt his own embarrassment grow. Grace smirked and Kyunghee smiled fondly at the pair. Kyunghee suddenly clapped her hands drawing the attention of everyone in the room.

“You should come to Hanna’s 100-day celebration!” Kyunghee looked at Sam, excitement was clear on her face. Sam honestly had no idea what she was talking about, he had never heard of a 100-day celebration. He looked towards Irene and Grace, both of whom were leaning back into the couch with their arms crossed and wearing near-identical expressions of annoyance.

“Mom,” Grace rolled her eyes, “Sam is not going to want to go to a party where everyone is speaking Korean to watch a baby do something totally ceremonial for approximately a minute.”

It was Irene’s turn to smack Grace, which she did lightly on the front of left Grace’s shoulder. “Mom, you really shouldn’t go around inviting people to other people’s party. It’s up to Jess and Noah to invite people.” 

Kyunghee looked at her daughters and rolled her eyes. “You know if I mention you have a boyfriend they will want to invite him anyway.” 

Irene’s eyes widened. “You don’t need to tell everyone that I have a boyfriend.” Kyunghee looked annoyed enough that Irene quickly threw out, “I’ll talk to Sam about going, it’s not for another couple of months anyway. If Sam wants to come I will call Jess about it. Okay?”

That seemed to please Kyunghee who stood up with a nod. “Thank you, Sam. I hope we meet again soon.” She extended her hand to Sam who shook it happily. He escorted all three of them to the door and saw them out.

Irene grabbed his hand on her way out and watched as her family entered her apartment. Her mother shot them a gentle smile as Grace smirked and wiggled her eyebrows at them. Sam found it amusing and turning toward Irene he saw her roll her eyes with a large smile on her face.

“Sorry, they’re both a handful. But thank you,” Irene smiled while making eye contact with Sam, “for putting up with their antics.”

Irene gave his hand a squeeze and went to let go but Sam wasn’t quite ready yet. “Hey,” Sam paused not sure what was about to come out of his mouth, “why don’t you join me and my friends at the bar on Friday? If you don’t have any plans, it might help us both feel ready to fool people at these parties.”

Irene smiled, looking a lot like her mother, and nodded her head. “Yeah. Just text me what time to meet you and I’ll see you there.” Irene slipped her hand out of Sam’s grasp and walked across the hallway, pausing with her hand on the doorknob of her apartment. She turned around and looked shy, “have a good week Sam.”

Before Sam could respond Irene had opened the door and slipped into her apartment. This whole thing was supposed to be fake, Sam knew that, but he wasn’t sure that his heart knew that.

*** *** *** *** ***

The week seemed to go by quickly and before Sam knew it, it was Friday: the day that may be considered his first date with Irene. Sam had just finished one of his support groups for the day when he received a text message from Irene. She had a last-minute meeting come up at work so she would meet him at the bar instead of going together as they had originally planned. When Sam had responded that he would see her there, she had responded with a meme that made Sam laugh long enough that his stomach started to hurt.

After work, Sam rushed back to his apartment to change clothes. The logical part of his brain continued to remind him that this was not a date. But still...part of him wished it was. After longer than he would ever admit to anyone, especially Bucky, he finally felt like he was dressed well enough to impress Irene.

By this point, he was running late. Sam cursed himself as he stood waiting for his uber. “Get it together Wilson,” Sam felt his palms start to sweat, “it isn’t a real date and you're not dating her.” A couple of minutes later the uber showed up and Sam got into the back seat quickly telling the name of the bar to the driver. 

Just as Sam was pulling out his phone to text Irene he got a phone call. Checking the caller ID, an involuntary smile spread across his face as he saw that it was Irene. “Hey Irene,” his voice came out more excited than he had intended. 

“Hi Sam,” Irene sounded out of breath and not her usual upbeat self. “I’m so sorry. My meeting took longer than it should have and then Justin was really obnoxious. Anyway, I’m just getting to my car so I should be there in like 30 minutes.”

Sam smiled at her concern, “Don’t worry Irene. I’m running late too. I’ll beat you to the bar and keep an eye open for you.”

He could hear Irene sigh from the other side of the phone. “I’m sorry. Justin is just...anyway I’ll see you at the bar. I just wanted to let you know that I was late.”

Sam said a quick goodbye to Irene and then watched as his driver pulled up to the bar. With a quick thanks and rating of the Uber driver, Sam was out of the car and walking into the bar. Inside everyone was sitting at their usual table and the bar wasn’t nearly as busy as it had been those couple of weeks ago.

Peggy noticed him first and waved frantically with a smile on her face. Bucky turned and did the same though Sam couldn’t decide if the brunette was actually excited to see him or simply being sarcastic. And even though Sam and Bucky were good friends, either option was equally possible. 

When he got close enough for conversation it was Carol who spoke first. “Well, how nice of you to join us Wilson.”

“Sorry,” Sam pulled his coat off and set it on the back of the empty chair at the table, “things ran long at work and then I was talking to Irene-”

“Oh were you playing hide the pickle with your girlfriend? Is that why you’re late?” Bucky looked at Sam, wagging his eyebrows so the obvious sex reference was unmissable.

Sam rolled his eyes. Of course, that is where Bucky’s mind went. “No, she called me. I invited her to join us tonight and she is running late. She should be here in a few minutes.” 

Peggy gave an excited gasp and started to bounce up and down in her chair. Steve’s arm was draped around her shoulders, knowing that would be Peggy’s reaction to getting excited. Conversation continued as Sam walked over to another table asking if he could steal their extra chair. When they agreed he brought it over to the group table.

At that point Wanda stopped by the table, bringing beer for Carol and Steve. Sam ordered a beer for himself but held off ordering for Irene since he was unsure of her preferences. A few minutes later Wanda delivered Sam’s beer and brought over their customary order of french fries.

A text message from Irene waited for him. He opened it to see that she had parked a couple of blocks away and was walking to the bar. “I’ll be right back. Everyone on their best behavior with Irene.” He made sure to make eye contact with Bucky, Nat, and Carol while he said that. Bucky and Carol rolled their eyes as Nat crossed her arms in reaction. Those were the best responses he was going to get.

Sam grabbed his jacket and walked outside as he put his winter jacket on. Once he got outside the bar, he could see Irene standing on the opposite street corner. She was bundled up in a red winter coat and grey scarf, her hair tied back in a low bun. Sam got excited and waved, catching Irene’s attention and prompting her to wave back.

Irene quickly crossed the street when the walk signal turned on. Her face was split by a smile and she came to a stop in front of Sam. “Hi, sorry again that I am late.”

“It’s fine, not a problem. Are you okay? You sounded upset on the phone.” Sam was concerned, in all the interactions he had with Irene she had been positive and upbeat. Even when she was dying of embarrassment because of her family, she had still seemed happy. But on the phone, her voice had sounded exhausted and frustrated.

Irene let out a sigh and closed her eyes. “I guess I’m okay. Justin laid off for about a week after I told him we were dating. But today he would not let it go, insisting that I needed to go on a date with him and talking about how much he had liked me since we started working together.” Irene shook her head, sounding more upset as she talked. “And it’s just so...frustrating that he won’t listen to me when I tell him I’m not interested.”

“Couldn’t you file a complaint with your supervisor about his behavior?” Sam asked, instinctively grabbing her hand though wishing he could hug her instead but respecting her previous comments about public displays of affection. Also, his brain reminded him, they were not actually dating.

Irene sighed and opened her eyes, rolling them in an attempt at comedy, “I wish. He’s like best friends with my supervisor.” She shot him a small smile. “Thanks for listening, I appreciate it.”

  
  


Sam interlocked their fingers and felt giddy when Irene’s smile widened as she squeezed his hand, before leading her into the bar. He walked them over to the bar and flagged down Pietro, the bartender and Wanda’s twin brother. “What can I do for you Sam?”

Sam looked towards Irene and gestured for her to order. “I would like...a tall Angry Orchard.” Irene looked over the board before making eye contact with Pietro. 

“Add it to my tab, Pietro. And can you have Wanda bring it to the table when she gets a chance?” Sam spoke before Irene could dig her wallet out of an oversized jacket pocket. Pietro nodded and walked over to another customer at the opposite end of the bar.

“You didn’t have to do that,” Irene turned her head towards Sam as they walked towards the table.

“I know,” Sam said trying to ignore the feeling of having his hand on her lower back, guiding them to the table. “Consider this part of the whole girlfriend thing.”

Irene rolled her eyes but tensed up beneath his hand once they arrived at the table. Sam pulled out the chair next to his as Irene took off her jacket. There was a chorus of hellos as Irene sat on the barstool. Sam could hear her subdued response as he took his own jacket off and sat down next to her.

“I’m so happy you’re here!” Peggy was still bouncing away on her barstool, a few french fries sitting on a napkin in front of her. Steve smiled indulgently at Peggy’s enthusiasm. “Also, I’m so sorry about last weekend. I had no idea.”

“It turned out fine Peggy, but thank you for your apology. I just hope it’s okay that Sam invited me.” Irene tucked a stray piece of hair behind an ear as Wanda set down her cider. “I know you guys meet every week, I hope I’m not intruding.”

“Oh, you’re not intruding at all! We’ve been hoping Sam would bring you along sometime.” Sharon smiled sweetly at Irene, ever the peacemaker of the group.

Carol smiled mischievously, “We’ve all really wanted to see who Sam’s been-” Sharon lifted her hand and hit Carol on the back of the head. “Kissing. Ow!” Carol’s hand touched the back of her head. “What the hell was that for?”

“That was because you normally say things that are unnecessarily dirty.” Sharon crossed her arms, shoving a french fry in her mouth.

Carol looked offended. “That may be true but how dare you assume I would pull that out on Irene? I mean it’s the second fucking time we’ve met, what do you take me for? An animal?” Carol consoled herself by taking a sip of her beer. 

Sharon rolled her eyes and Sam looked towards Irene, her eyes huge and she looked unsure of how to react. “That’s pretty standard for Carol.”

“That was tame for Carol and you know it Wilson,” Natasha drawled from her spot on the opposite side of Irene. She turned her body towards Irene, “Don’t be intimidated by Carol. She’s crusty on the outside but soft on the inside.”

Carol looked offended. Again. “I will have you know that I am not soft on the inside. I am woman, hear me roar.”

Bucky shot Carol an incredulous look. “Is this the same woman who sobbed during both The Notebook and Titanic?” Carol stuck her tongue out at Bucky before sulking into her beer and shoving several fries into her mouth.

Irene broke out laughing, her head on the table and arms wrapped around her stomach. Sam looked at her for a moment, fondness creeping its way into his heart, before joining in on the laughter. It didn’t take long before everyone else, Carol included, was laughing along.

The laughter continued for a couple of minutes before Irene sat up, her eyes looking just a little bit wet, and took deep breaths to calm herself down. Conversation around the table resumed as Irene grabbed some fries after Sam told her they were for everyone and placed them on a napkin in front of her. 

“So Irene,” Bucky said after taking a sip of his beer, “Sam’s never said much about you. What is it you do exactly?”

“I work in admissions at Marymount University. I mostly work as a contact person for international students who have questions about the admissions process, manage applications and help review them, and help file documents for immigration.” Irene took a small sip of her cider, so small Sam imagined that she would only go through the one in the whole evening. “One of the other things I do on campus is help supervise students in the International Club and I do some mentoring for students from East Asia.”

That was something that Sam had not known, the mentoring. When he went over to Irene’s apartment they had talked about everything else. “That sounds interesting,” Sharon twirled a fry in her hand as she spoke, “did you attend Marymount for your degree then?”

Irene shook her head, “actually I went to GW and got a degree in international studies. My dad is a professor of Korean literature there so I got a deal for attending.”

“What does your sister do Irene?” Peggy was still smiling so widely her face might break. 

Irene smiled proudly, “Grace is a kindergarten teacher in Palisades Park where she lives with her boyfriend. She works as the bilingual Korean teacher as her school so she works primarily with students whose first language is Korean to help them learn English in addition to their regular content.”

“Palisades Park as in The Palisades?” Steve looked confused. To be honest, Sam was a little confused too but had never questioned her on it. There had always seemed to be other things to discuss with Irene.

Irene shook her head, taking a small sip of her drink. “No, it’s a small borough in New Jersey about 4 and a half hours away. She and her boyfriend really like it there, since there are a lot of Koreans in the area. They moved there a few months ago when her boyfriend got a job as a music teacher at the high school.” 

“That sounds pretty cool,” Nat spoke up, taking a sip of her beer. 

“She enjoys it a lot but she really loves little kids so it’s a pretty good match for her. And she enjoys being there with her boyfriend.” Irene definitely looked like a proud big sister. For some reason that made Sam feel warm and fuzzy on the inside. 

Carol leaned forward on the table and looked directly at Irene. “You seem like a good person.” Irene looked confused. Nat and Bucky wore matching smirks. Peggy, Steve, and Sharon grinned indulgently. Sam groaned and covered his face with a hand. “You hurt Sam and no one will ever find your body.”

Irene nodded solemnly at Carol’s word, her face serious. “Trust me Carol, that is the last thing I want to do.” The look she gave Sam made butterflies flutter in his stomach. And his brain helpfully reminded him once again that she was not his girlfriend. 

But he was beginning to wish that she was.

*** *** *** *** ***

The rest of Friday night had been fun. As Sam predicted Irene only had the one drink all night, along with plenty of food, so by the end of the night she was still sober. She was the only one sober besides Peggy and had given Sam a ride back to their apartment building. When they got up to their floor they paused in the hallway between their apartments. Irene whispered a quiet good night with Sam returning it. She paused at her door, hand on the handle, before turning around. It almost looked like she wanted to say something, Sam was sure she looked at his lips, before she shook her head and entered her apartment. By the time Sam was laying in bed, he wasn’t sure if he had imagined that moment or not.

When Sam woke up late Saturday morning, he had a text message from Irene. It was a meme about being hungover, which Sam definitely was not. But it still made him laugh. He sent one back about coffee. Irene sent him a gif of a laughing cat.

They exchanged casual texts throughout the weekend, funny pictures and memes. Every once in awhile they sent funny things that had happened. 

On Monday morning Irene sent a gif of a baby smiling and then falling asleep. Sam sent her a picture of his coffee. She responded that she had overslept and not had any coffee yet. And of course, it was the day they had a huge meeting so she didn’t have time to get any once she got to work.

That day Sam had a meeting with a couple of people to establish a new support group, associated with the VA for veterans who lived outside the city and still wanted to receive support services. When the meeting was done Sam realized that he wasn’t that far away from the Marymount campus.

Sam was in need of more coffee before heading back to his office at the VA. When he went to order his venti black coffee he remembered that Irene mentioned her favorite coffee was an iced caramel macchiato from Starbucks. So he ordered a venti one and figured he could stop by the Marymount campus to make a quick delivery.

As he waited for the coffees he pulled up his phone and looked at a campus map to figure out where he needed to park to be closest to the building Irene worked in. By the time the coffees had been finished Sam figured out where he needed to go.

About 15 minutes later, Sam was parked and heading toward the admissions office, Irene’s coffee in hand. He was enjoying the winter sun, one of the rare days that it was sunny and warm. He entered Butler Hall and saw a student sitting at a desk near the front of the lobby. Her hair was curly, with part of it pulled back into a ponytail. What wasn’t pulled back covered part of her face, having fallen as she leaned forward while reading a book. She was so absorbed in whatever she was reading that she hadn’t even noticed Sam walking up to the desk.

“Excuse me,” Sam smiled at the girl who glanced up at him. Her facial expression read annoyance as she pushed the hair out of her face. “I’m wondering if you could tell me how to get to the admissions office.”

“You look kind of old to be looking into coming to college,” the girl said, a badge on her chest read MJ, though it was handwritten on a piece of white tape that didn’t cover the whole gold-colored badge. Sam could almost make out more letters underneath, almost as if MJ were a nickname. While the words were rude her tone said that she was always this blunt.

Sam nodded his head and shot her a toothy grin. “You’re right. I’m actually here to bring coffee to my girlfriend. She works in admissions but I haven’t been here before.”

MJ nodded her head. “Fair. I need you to fill in this guest sign-in book.” She shoved a bright blue binder towards him. As Sam was signing himself in MJ gave him directions to the admissions office.

“Thank you MJ.” Sam waved as he walked away. For her part, MJ seemed unimpressed and waved her hand in his general direction, her head already bent back towards her book.

Sam chuckled and followed her directions, eventually finding himself in the admissions office. When he got there he found another student sitting at the front desk. His head was bowed and a pencil in his hand scribbling away at something. Sam walked up and cleared his throat. 

The younger man’s brown hair was sticking up as if he had been running his hands through it. His blue sweater was rumpled with the sleeves pushed up. Sam caught a glance at what the young man was working on and it appeared to be some kind of complicated math. “Hi, I’m Peter. How can I help you?”

“Hi, I’m here to see Irene Jung.” Sam gave the younger man a toothy grin.

Peter nodded his head and looked toward the computer off to his left. After a few seconds he looked back towards Sam. “Do you have an appointment or are you just dropping in for counseling?”

“I’m just dropping in to talk to her for a few minutes. Nothing official or anything.” Sam was beginning to wonder if this was a bad idea.

Peter nodded his head and picked up the phone on the desk. “Okay, I’ll give her office a quick call. Can I tell her a name?”

“Yeah, you can tell her Sam is here to see her.” Peter nodded his head in acknowledgment. Sam turned toward the posters that were hanging on the wall nearby that were clearly promoting the university. In the background, he could hear Peter talking on the phone. 

It took a couple of minutes, longer than Sam had anticipated it would. Finally, he heard footsteps coming down the hallway. And an obnoxious male voice was accompanying the footsteps and talking about how well his last recruiting trip had gone. 

Sam turned around to see the obnoxious man and was instead greeted by the sight of Irene. She was wearing a pair of wide-legged red dress pants with a white button-down. Her hair was pulled up into a bun on the top of her head. She was wearing a pair of beige colored heels. Sam thought she looked beautiful, but then again he pretty much always thought that. 

Then he looked at her face. Her expression was annoyed. Very annoyed. And then Sam glanced towards the man next to her. His sandy blonde hair was styled so that it was pushed to one side. Thick rimmed, black plastic glasses sat on his face. He was wearing a pair of charcoal dress pants and a polo shirt emblazoned with the Marymount University logo. Sam recognized the body language, someone who thought they were better than others, someone who thought they deserved the attention of the world.

Irene was standing there, a small smile on her face and nodding her head encouraging him to be done. But the man could not take the hint. Behind them, Sam spotted Peter rolling his eyes and looking back towards his homework. Sam quickly realized that the man was not going to let Irene go. So he puffed up his chest, glad that he was wearing his leather jacket and Air Force Sweatshirt, and did his best to look intimidating. 

“Hey Irene,” Sam shot her a toothy smile as he approached the pair. That seemed to jar the other man enough that he stopped talking, instead analyzing Sam.

The other man apparently decided that Sam wasn’t a threat because he ignored how Sam was talking to Irene. Instead, the other man stepped in front of her and extended his hand. “Hi I’m Justin Hammer. And you are?”

Sam extended his own hand as Irene stepped out from behind Justin, a grateful smile on her face. “Sam Wilson. I’m Irene’s boyfriend.” Irene slipped her arm around Sam’s waist. Justin’s eyebrows jumped up and Peter’s head whipped up from his homework in a look of absolute shock.

“No kidding,” Justin’s eyes looked frustrated even though his smarmy smile still decorated his face. “Irene never mentioned having a boyfriend.”

“That’s not true and you know it Justin. I told you a while ago about Sam. I even showed you that picture on my phone when you said you didn’t believe me.” Irene rolled her eyes, her voice was tenser than Sam had ever heard it. 

Justin’s face contorted for a second as he thought. Then he made an expression of realization. “That’s right. I just thought…” Justin looked like he didn’t want to say anything or like he was trying to find the words.

“You thought what?” Sam asked, a pleasant smile on his face. He knew what Justin was getting at. Justin had thought that Irene was lying. But there was no good way for him to admit that without looking like a human douchenozzle. Which Sam was pretty sure was an accurate description.

“Nothing. I have that meeting soon. So I’m going to get going. Maybe we could grab lunch together sometime Irene?” Sam looked down at Irene who raised an eyebrow in disbelief that this was happening at all. “I mean, of course, Seth is welcome to join us.”

Irene rolled her eyes though it didn’t seem to have any effect on Justin. “His name is Sam, Justin.” 

Justin’s ears turned pink and he nodded before turning to walk back toward his office. Irene let her head roll back before righting it and looking at Sam with a genuine smile on her face. “Hi, how are you? What are you doing here?”

Sam smiled back, “I’m fine. I was in the area so I brought you some coffee,” Sam brought up the partially melted drink so Irene could see it. Her expression morphed from gentle to giddy as she grabbed the iced caramel macchiato and took a sip. “So that was Justin huh?”

Irene rolled her eyes but before she could respond Peter jumped in. “He’s pretty much always that bad. A real piece of work. But wow Irene, I never knew you had a boyfriend.”

Irene smiled indulgently as she looked towards Peter. “Yes, Peter. This is Sam, my boyfriend.” 

“Oh, we’ve met.” Peter stared at the couple awkwardly. 

“Don’t you need to finish studying for your physics final Peter?” Irene cocked an eyebrow, taking another long draw from the coffee. Peter’s eyes went wide and immediately returned to the notebook in front of him. “Wait here for a second. I’ll grab my coat and walk you back to your car.”

Sam nodded, shoving his hands into his pocket as Irene walked back to her office with some pep in her step. It wasn’t more than a minute before Irene came back, red winter coat hanging off her shoulders and black purse slung across her body.

“Hey Peter, I was going to stop at the Thai place and pick up some lunch. Do you want me to bring you some larb?” Irene looked at Peter as his head popped up from his work.

“Thanks for the offer Irene but MJ and I are going to get lunch when we both get off.” Peter looked up smiling widely. 

Irene waved at him before turning toward Sam and grabbing his hand. She continued to hold it as they walked out of the building. On the way out it looked like MJ was still as absorbed in her book as when Sam arrived.

Sam took a second to sign out of the visitors' log. MJ looked up at the pair as Sam did so, her unbothered expression still on her face. Once he was done and Irene waved goodbye from her place a couple of feet away, Sam and Irene exited the building holding hands again.

They got to the parking lot and stopped in front of Irene’s car. “Is this okay?” Irene’s voice broke their pleasant silence as she lifted up their joined hands.

“It’s perfect.” Sam smiled gently at the woman in front of him. “So, Justin’s a real piece of trash.”

Irene giggled before nodding her head. “Yeah, but he’s known my supervisor since they were in college together. And he is really good at convincing people to come to Marymount. He just likes anything with a skirt.”

“Well you let me know if it gets bad again and I’ll come visit you at work again.” Sam squeezed Irene’s hand. “I’m sorry you have to deal with him.” 

“Thank you for that. And the coffee. I don’t know if I’ll see you again before the party,” a small frown formed on Irene’s face. “This week is finals week. I’m leaving on Thursday to go to Palisades Park. My sister and her boyfriend are hosting Christmas this year. Then I have another Christmas later that week with my aunt, uncle, and cousins. I’ll be back right before New Year’s eve.”

“I hope you have a good time. Is it okay if I text you while you’re gone?” Sam was shy hoping that he wasn’t overstepping some kind of boundary even though they had been texting the last couple of days.

It was Irene’s turn to squeeze Sam’s hand. “Of course you can text Sam. I would really like that. I hope you enjoy the holiday.”

“You too Irene.” Sam gave her hand one last squeeze before letting go and walking towards his own car. He could not wait for Peggy and Steve’s New Year’s Eve party.

*** *** *** *** ***

That time between Sam’s impromptu coffee delivery and New Year’s Eve, about 2 weeks, was filled with text messages. Mainly they sent each other memes and funny pictures like they had before. But as Irene spent time with her family she sent family pictures. One of them was with Grace, her hair curled and wearing a green velvet dress while Irene’s hair was pulled back into a ponytail paired with a large white sweater and wide-legged white pants.

Another picture she sent was her wearing the same outfit and posing with her parents. Kyunghee’s hair was neatly combed back and she was wearing a long-sleeved mustard blouse with a bow tied at the neck. Her father, who Irene let Sam know was named Youngjin, was wearing a white collared shirt under a burgundy sweater. All of them were smiling at the camera and sitting on the couch.

In response, Sam had sent a picture of Steve, Peggy, Sharon, Bucky, Nat, and himself in front of the Christmas tree at Steve & Peggy’s townhouse. The friends always spent Christmas together as most of them had no family or family that lived too far away to visit. All of them were wearing ugly Christmas sweaters, the theme Peggy had finally settled on for the year, and most of them were holding beer bottles. Steve had been the one to take the selfie, his long arms providing the perfect angle to get all of them in the picture.

Irene had enjoyed the picture. And a couple of days later Irene had sent him a big family photo of her own, taken by her uncle Youngchul using a selfie stick. It included her parents, her uncle Youngchul and aunt Hyunsook, her cousin Jess and husband Noah holding their daughter Hanna. It made Sam smile when he saw how happy she was surrounded by her family.

A couple of nights before the party Irene had texted Sam asking what she should wear. Sam had responded that the party was always formal with most women wearing dresses or gowns. When Irene asked what he would be wearing Sam admitted he would be wearing a suit. His heart beat a little faster when she texted back a winky face and the monkey covering its eyes.

Finally it was the big night. Sam looked at himself in the mirror. He was wearing a three-piece suit with a purple checked dress shirt and dark purple tie. The suit material had a subtle plaid pattern woven into the material. Mostly Sam felt overdressed in the suit but Peggy had insisted that he needed to look his absolute best. Peggy, particularly pregnant Peggy, was good at convincing people that her way was the best. So Sam had ended up in the three-piece suit rather than the dress pants and sweater he had wanted to wear.

At the designated time Sam walked over to Irene’s apartment and knocked on the door. She opened the door with a wide smile on her face. Irene’s hair was down and pulled to rest over her right shoulder. Her dress was a bright red color, off the shoulder and floor-length, with two ruffles sitting on the neckline. Over one arm she was holding a small fur cape to keep her shoulders warm. In her other hand, she was holding a small gold clutch. 

“Wow,” Sam breathed out, blown away by Irene, “you look...amazing.”

Irene smiled shyly, “thank you, so do you.” She took a step forward out of her apartment and pulled a small key out of her clutch before quickly locking up her apartment. “We should probably get going, we don’t want to be late.”

Sam nodded and offered her an arm to hold. Irene gladly took it after putting her cape on. The two chatted while walking to the uber Sam had ordered. Sam opened the door for Irene to enter the car before he walked around to the other side and getting in the car. Once inside Sam gave the address of Peggy and Steve’s townhome to the driver and the group was on their way. 

It wasn’t long before they arrived at the townhouse and Sam could already hear the party from outside. After the uber had pulled away Sam turned toward Irene and gave her a toothy grin, “last chance. If you want, I'll call another uber and you can go home.”

Irene smiled and shook her head, “no, thank you, Sam. Let’s go inside, it’s kind of cold outside.”

Sam nodded and again offered Irene an arm. Together they walked up to the townhome where Sam knocked on the door. It took a few moments before the door opened to reveal a glowing Peggy. Her hair had been curled and pulled back off her face. She was wearing a long dress that accentuated her baby bump, the skirt of the dress was a blush color while the top was covered in silver glitter. 

Peggy’s face split into a huge smile. “Sam! Irene!” She hugged each of them as she said their names. “I’m so happy that you came. Come in, come in!” Peggy stepped aside to make room for Sam and Irene to enter. “Irene, Sam can show you to the guest room, that’s where we’re having everyone put their coats and such.”

“Peggy! Come say hello to Fury and Maria!” Steve’s voice could be heard coming from the upper level. Peggy rolled her eyes but gestured for Sam to lead the way. When the trio made it upstairs Peggy went towards the living room where Steve was talking to a tall, black man with an eye patch and a woman, her hair pulled back into a clean bun, wearing a navy blue pants suit. Sam grabbed Irene’s hand and lead her in the opposite direction before opening a door.

The guest bedroom was nothing special. A full-sized bed was up against one wall and a desk against the other. There were already several coats piled on the bed. “You can go ahead and put your fur-thing and clutch on the bed if you want.”

Irene smiled while rolling her eyes, “it’s called a cape Sam.” 

“Whatever,” Sam shrugged his shoulders carelessly. “Are you ready to go face the wolves?”

Irene chuckled, “they’re your friends Sam. It’s not going to be that bad.”

Sam’s heart beat faster at Irene’s laugh and his brain questioned when that had started. “You haven’t seen anything yet. Peggy loves parties and this is her biggest one every year. She and Steve invite every single person they can think of.”

“Oh,” Irene’s eyebrows were raised and her lips pursed. Sam thought she looked nervous. But then closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and squared her shoulders. When she opened her eyes they were full of determination. “Let’s go do this.”

Irene grabbed Sam’s hand, and with a pair of matching smiles, they walked out into the party. A few more guests had arrived in the time it took them to put Irene’s cape and clutch away. One of those guests was Carol, wearing a sparkly black pants suit and shiny black heels. Her hair was curled and pinned back off her face. Carol saw the pair and immediately started making her way over. 

“Happy New Year you guys!” Carol punched Sam lightly in the shoulder with a smile, which Sam returned with a smile of his own, before offering a fist for Irene to fist bump. Irene hesitated for a second before going along with Carol’s greeting.

“Happy New Year Carol,” Irene smiled at her while she slid her hand into Sam’s with a small squeeze. Carol caught the movement of her hand and smirked at the pair. Sam was afraid that Carol would make a smart ass comment when he felt a pair of hands land on his shoulders.

“What’s up my man?” Bucky said loudly in his ear. Sam let go of Irene’s hand to swat at Bucky behind him. 

Turning around Sam saw Bucky dressed in a dark red suit, black button-down shirt with the top button undone, and black pointy dress shoes. Despite the long hair, which Sam noticed had been trimmed to just below his jawline, Bucky looked put together. Next to him was Natasha, red hair curled and wearing a two-toned dress: the top was white and structured with long sleeves while the bottom flared out and was black. 

Sam and Bucky pulled each other in for a half-hug and patted each other on the back. “I see you finally took my advice and got a haircut. It looks good on you man.” The two backed away from each other and Sam gave Nat a full hug which she returned with a smile on her face.

“It was Peggy, she convinced him he needed the haircut,” Natasha tucked a piece of hair behind an ear exposing a pair of pearl earrings. “If it had been up to me, the long hair would have stayed.”

Bucky wiggled his eyebrows, “I left it long enough that Nat still had plenty to pull on though.” Everyone in the group groaned, except Natasha who smirked at her boyfriend. Since Sharon wasn’t around to do it, Carol reached over and slapped Bucky on the back of the head. He grimaced for a second before accepting the slap with a smile. “Thanks for that Carol. Where is Sharon anyway? She’s slacking.”

Carol rolled her eyes. “She’s helping host the party this year since Peggy’s pregnant. I think Steve has become ultra-protective and convinced Sharon it was necessary this year.”

The group continued to chat throughout the night. Steve, Peggy, and Sharon came over to visit with them as possible throughout the night. Though Steve and Peggy’s house did get crowded. Irene was shocked. Steve and Peggy really did invite pretty much everyone they knew.

They spent most of the night sitting on the couches in the living room. They all crowded in as close as possible. So Irene was pressed right up against Sam’s side, rubbing against him every time she readjusted, laughed, or took a sip of her drink. At some point Sam slung his arm across the back of her shoulders and Irene sunk into him, cuddling, making his heart pound so hard Sam thought it might break through his ribs.

Right before midnight the group stood up and went to find Steve and Peggy, who were standing near the French doors leading to a small deck off their dining room. 

“Great party you guys,” Carol said as she hugged Peggy again. Peggy looked exhausted, Sam guessed she’d probably go to bed shortly after midnight and let Steve and Sharon close down the party. 

Peggy leaned into Carol’s hug before her face morphed from exhausted to exhilarated. She straightened up and pointed right at Sam and Irene. “You guys! You’re standing under the mistletoe! Kiss!”

Sam looked at Irene, who was looking towards the ground and fiddling with her fingers. “No, that’s not necessary Peggy.”

“But,” Peggy looked aghast at the pair, “it’s tradition! You have to!”

Sharon looked toward Sam and Irene, “Just kiss, it’s not a big deal. Do it for the pregnant lady.”

Bucky, Nat, and Carol started to chant in the background, “kiss! Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!”

Sam took a deep breath and looked toward Irene. She shifted her gaze from the floor and took one of Sam’s hands in her own. With a small squeeze, Irene leaned forward as Sam bent his head. Her breath felt warm against his face.

And then their lips touched. 

It wasn’t a messy kiss, a peck really, but it was long enough that Sam felt his heart rate increase and his palms sweat. Irene was the only thing on his mind. Her hand in his. Her lips on his. Somewhere in the background of his mind, he heard shouts of “Happy New Year!” but he didn’t pay them any attention.

And then it was over. Irene couldn’t make eye contact with him instead gazing down at their interlocked fingers. Sam brushed a stray lock of hair behind one of her ears, prompting her to look up at him in awe. Sam was conflicted. His heart was hammering from the kiss, part of him convinced that it was real and the rational part of his brain reminding him that all of this was fake. Steve walked over to the pair and slapped Sam on the shoulder before he could say anything to Irene, which definitely reminded them both that this moment was not private.

They stayed at the party for a little while longer. Nat, Carol, and Bucky all teased them for the kiss but Sharon would smack them each time they did. As Sam predicted, Peggy went to bed pretty much right after midnight. Steve was a gracious host saying goodbye to everyone himself so that Sharon got to spend time with the rest of the group. Eventually, Irene could no longer hide the yawns that had been happening more frequently the later they stayed.

Sam pulled out his phone and ordered an Uber. They said their goodbyes, grabbed Irene’s things from the guest bedroom, and walked outside to meet their uber. Irene was quiet on the car ride back to the apartment building, but their driver was chatty so Sam talked to them for the entire ride. When they got back to the apartment building, Irene grabbed Sam’s hand as they walked across the lobby.

Eventually, they stopped in front of Irene’s apartment and Sam suddenly remembered none of this was real. And he felt cold knowing that he and Irene would likely never really talk to each other again. Irene had not made eye contact with him since the kiss. His heart wanted to say something but he couldn’t seem to find the words to convey his feelings.

After a moment awkwardly standing in the hallway, Irene squeezed Sam’s hand. “I guess this is it.” Irene finally made eye contact with Sam, a small smile on her face. Sam couldn’t tell if he was imagining it or not but he thought she looked almost...sad.

With one last squeeze, Irene went to let go of Sam’s hand, her body already turning towards her apartment when Sam gently tugged her hand. Irene looked back, first at their hands before looking towards Sam’s face. He was nervous. But with a deep breath, he steadied himself.

“What if it didn’t have to be over?”

Irene cocked an eyebrow in confusion. “I don’t understand Sam.”

“I don’t want this to be over.” Irene looked at him, shock and confusion still clear on her face. “I like you Irene, I have for a while. We’ve been spending all this time together and I don’t know...somewhere along the way I started hoping that it was real. And if I’m the only one that’s fine, you say the word and I’ll leave you alone. But what if this didn’t have to be over. What if we were actually...a couple?”

Irene paused to look at Sam. She didn’t say anything, simply looked him in the eye as if assessing him. Sam grew more nervous the longer she stood there. Eventually, his embarrassment took over and Sam mumbled, “forget it. I’ll see you around,” before turning towards his apartment. 

Only this time Irene was the one that pulled on their still connected hands. Sam turned around to see Irene smiling widely. “If we were actually a couple, then I assume you would kiss me right now. And take me out for breakfast in the morning.”

Sam stepped closer, his free hand coming up to rest on Irene’s face. “Is that what I would do?”

Irene nodded, her own freehand coming to rest on Sam’s waist. “Maybe if I was lucky you might kiss me again when you dropped me off at home.”

Time seemed to freeze, Sam holding his breath and wondering if he understood Irene. She smiled at him as she moved her face closer to his. When her lips met his, Sam let out his breath before leaning into the kiss. Her lips were warm against his, her smile still there, and moving along with his. As they kissed her hand moved to the small of his back while his own hand slid from her face to her hair.

The moment was shattered when the old man who lived next to Sam, Alexander Pierce, cleared his throat. “You know,” he said conversationally, “most people don’t kiss in the middle of the hallway. When neither Sam nor Irene moved, too busy staring at him and breathing heavily, he continued. “Would you mind?”

Quickly they shuffled towards Sams’s apartment door with mumbled apologies. He nodded towards them as he passed and pulled on his suit jacket. They paused and watched him until he was in the elevator before they made eye contact once again.

Sam and Irene broke out laughing at the same time. Of course, it had been Pierce who found them kissing, the man who had assumed they were breaking into an apartment when they first met.

“So, where am I taking you out for breakfast in the morning?” Sam smiled down at Irene.

She returned the smile, moving to wrap Sam up in her arm, “I never did make it to Falcon’s Nest. Maybe we should go there.”

“Sounds like a date to me.” Sam chuckled as his brain reminded him about the guidebook he had joked about with Steve months earlier.

Sam could definitely write one. After all, he did just manage to get a girlfriend.


End file.
